Remember? Back in the day when we were young. Sherbet was the "ice cream alternative". Distinctly fruity, yet just as refreshing. I haven't had any sherbet in a LONG time.

Well, when TW (The Wife) and I were opening wedding gifts, I realized that that was about to change; Or so I thought. Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Tony J. for purchasing us the Cuisinart ICE-20, the combination Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt/Sorbet Maker.

The gloves came off last night. It was time to christen the ICE-20. I'd compiled my ingredients, frozen the thing that needed to be frozen, and researched my recipe. I decided to go off the beaten path, and NOT go with one of the pre-printed recipes. One day a couple of years ago, I happened upon a Brewster's Ice Cream, and saw something I've never seen before: Honeydew Sorbet. It was...divine.

So ANYWAY...lets table the Honeydew and talk about sherbert. Last night I was on the phone telling someone that I made some Honeydew Sherbert. TW corrected me - "sorbet". I shrugged. They're the same thing, right? Fruity. Not quite as smooth as Ice Cream, but quite delightful all the same. Wrong.

From drgourmet.com: The difference between sorbet and sherbet is that sherbets contain milk or another fat, making it similar to ice cream. Generally thought of as being fruit based, sorbets can be made with any ingredient.

So, I made sorbet. Not sherbert.

But what ever happened to sherbet? I don't recall seeing any on my local grocer's ice cream aisle in a while. Has sherbet fallen out of fashion?

I know what it is. I've outgrown sherbet. They don't serve dollops of sherbet in nice restaurants along thin slices of contrasting, but complimentary fruit. That's sorbet. They don't serve little tastes of lemon sherbet as a 4th course palette cleanser before the dessert. That's sorbet. They, they...well, Cuisinart doesn't make machines to let you make sherbet at home. Sigh. That's sorbet. So nose-in-the-air better-than-you holier-than-thou snooty-wooty.

I guess that about clinches it. I pay taxes. I'm married. I'm a homeowner. I can drink alcohol. I eat sorbet. I'm a grownup.

Know what I'm sayin'??

p.s. This sorbet vs. sherbet thing has wrinkle. People can't can't to decide which is the correct spelling: sherbet or sherbert. Blogger doesn't help, because it can't spell either one. It can't spell dollop either.

I refuse to say the word "sorbet." To me it's just too snooty. We already had a word for what a sorbet describes. It's called an "ice." The word "sorbet" doesn't even appear in my 1979 copyrighted edition of Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary. I'm not sure when Americans started using the word but it's only been within the last 20 years or so. I have an ice cream maker and I use it to make ice cream, sherbets, and ices only. I don't do sorbets. You use the word "sorbet" in my house and you're likely to be shown the door.